How To Cast Off Knitting: All You Need To Know For The Last Step

Casting or binding off your knitting is the last step in knitting. Binding off makes the knitting project ready to use! I answer how to cast off knitting & the best way to cast off in knitting.

Table Of Contents

• How Do You Cast Off In Knitting For Beginners?
• How To Cast Off In Knit Stitch
• How To Cast Off In Purl Stitch
• How To Cast Off Knitting In The Round
• How To Cast Off For Left-Handers
• When To Cast Off
• FAQS

I reviewed, fact checked and updated this post on May 28, 2023.

How Do You Cast Off In Knitting For Beginners?

How To Cast Off In Knit Stitch

Keep your tension loose, and cast off on the right, not wrong side. (Knit stitch is also called garter stitch or plain stitch.)

1. Start by knitting the first two stitches of the last row on your project.
2. Slip first stitch (closest to the needle’s end) over second & off your needle.
3. Knit 1 stitch. You will now have two stitches on right.
4. Repeat instruction 2.
5. Repeat steps 2 – 4 until there’s 1 stitch on right needle.
6. Cut yarn, leaving a 9-10 inch tail.
7. Bring yarn over & under right needle.
8. To bind off, grab end stitch, slip it over the loop & off needle. Pull thread until it pops out of the loop, & pull tight.

How To Cast Off In Purl Stitch

1. Purl 1.
2. Purl 1. You now have 2 stitches on the right.
3. Move the yarn to the back. Slip first stitch over the second & off your needle. You have one stitch on the right. Yarn forward.
4. Purl 1. Two stitches on your right.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Repeat steps 2 – 5 until you have one stitch on right needle.
7. Cut yarn, leaving a 9-10 inch tail.
8. Bring yarn over & under right.
9. To bind off, grab final stitch (not the loop you made with yarn). Slip it over loop & off. Pull yarn until it pops out of the loop. Pull tight.

Casting Off Stitches With Both Purl & Knit

If you’re knitting a rib pattern, you use knit & purl stitches. Like knit two, purl two.

• Step 1. Knit the first two stitches of your project.
• Step 2. Lift the first stitch (closest to the needle’s end) over second stitch & off. One stitch on the right needle.
• Step 3. Purl 1. 2 stitches on the right.
• Step 4. Repeat step 2.
• Step 5. Purl 1. Repeat step 2.
• Step 6. Repeat steps 1 – 5 until there is 1 stitch on your right. Cut yarn, leaving a 9-10 inch yarn tail.
• Step 7. Bring the yarn over & under the right.
• Step 8. To bind off, brab last stitch. Slip over the loop & off. Pull yarn until it pops out of the loop, pull tight.

Cast Off Knitting Video Tutorial

An excellent tutorial by Davina from Sheep & Stitch. 

Want to experience a new method? Try the three needle bind off.

How To Cast Off Knitting In The Round

Casting off in the round is the same as casting off with two straight knitting needles). As you cast off, stitches come away from the circulars. Ensure you keep sliding stitches up towards the tip of the left (right if you’re left-handed), to cast them off easily. For excellent needle options see here

How To Cast Off For Left-Handers

Standard cast off for the project. (Using knit stitches.)

1. Knit 1.
2. Knit 1. You have 2 stitches on your left.
3. Pull first stitch over the second stitch & off. You have 1 stitch on your left needle.
4. Knit 1. Two stitches on your left needle.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 until you have 1 stitch on left.
7. Cut yarn, leaving a 9-10 inch yarn tail.
8. Bring yarn over & under the left.
9. To bind off, grab last stitch (not the loop you made with the yarn). Slip over the loop & off. Pull yarn until it pops out of the loop, pull tight.

When To Cast Off

If you’re working from a knitting pattern, it will tell you when to cast off.

FAQS About How To Cast Off In Knitting

How To Make A Neat Cast Off

Here’s a great tutorial on knitting a neat selvedge edge on the side of your knitted piece, and on your cast-off edge.

What Is The Difference Between Bind Off And Cast Off In Knitting?

Bind off & cast off mean the same thing. Some say cast off, others say bind off.

What Does Pull Through To Cast Off Mean?

When you knit a hat, you close the top by pulling the tail end through the remaining stitches, then pulling tight.

How Much Wool Do You Need To Cast Off?

It depends on how many stitches you have in your gauge.

Different Cast Off Knitting Methods

Here are the names & tutorials.

• Standard cast off
• Purl cast off
• Stretchy cast-off
• I-cord cast off

How To Cast Off In Seed Stitch

Here’s a helpful video tutorial.

How To Cast Off In Stockinette Stitch

Here’s a helpful video tutorial.

Conclusion

Casting off is important to learn for the beginner knitter. Now you’ve learned how to cast off when knitting, you can finish your knitting project easily. For a different technique try the three needle bindoff.

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